“As we’ve talked about many times,” Stan commented one morning, “I just love hearing the testimonies of other people about how they came to faith.”
“Personal testimonies provide a lot of insight that can be helpful in relating to other people,” I commented.
“Exactly,” Stan replied. “And there was another instance of that the other day when I was talking to a neighbor who described himself as having been a skeptic.”
“Having been a skeptic about what?” I asked.
“God, Jesus Christ, the church, everything dealing with faith,” Stan said. “But he said there was a person he describes as a ‘Philip’ who persisted and made a difference in overcoming his skepticism.”
“A Philip?” I replied. “What’s that mean?”
“Early in Jesus’ earthly ministry,” Stan replied, “there was a person named Philip who Jesus found and said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ And he did. Then Philip found a skeptic named Nathanael who he told about having found Jesus the Messiah.”
“But,” I asked, “if this Nathanael was a skeptic, how did that work out?”
‘That’s the Philip part that my neighbor described,” Stan replied. “In the gospel account, Philip told Nathanael ‘to come and see.’ Nathanael did and he came to faith by believing in Jesus. And my neighbor said that’s what happened with him. A ‘Philip’ helped him ‘to come and see’.”
“So,” I responded, “we are all to be like Philip by saying to the skeptics in our lives, ‘Come and see’. Is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s it, my friend,” Stan said. “Someone did that for me. A neighbor cared enough about me and my eternal destination to say, ‘Come and see.’ She didn’t give up when I didn’t respond in the first instance. She kept inviting me. I’m to do the same thing with the skeptics in my life; and I think we are all to do that. How else are the skeptics going to know the truth?”
“Let me think about this,” I said. “Who is it I want to have come and see Jesus? I’m going to make a list of who to invite, and I’m going to keep on inviting them!”
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Bible verses to consider:
Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:45-46.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for giving your Son Jesus so that all who believe can have life eternally with you when it’s time, along with the eternal life of knowing you and Him on this side of eternity. Thank you, too, for those you brought into my life to say, “Come and see” to overcome my skepticism about you, Jesus, and everything to do with belief and faith. I confess that there are skeptics in my life who I do not reach out to and say, “Come and see.” Please forgive me and help me in caring enough about their eternal destination and life on this side of eternity to help them overcome their skepticism. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Are there skeptics about God in your life? If so, have you tried to reach out to them by saying, “Come and see”? If no, why? Someone told you about the truth of God’s provision of life eternally with Him when it’s time, along with the eternal life of knowing Him in an ever-deepening personal relationship on this side of eternity. Isn’t it worth it to say to the skeptics in your life, “Come and see”? There is much for them that hangs in the balance!
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S. Tory Teller’s book, with a Foreword by Josh McDowell, Waiting for the Train: Biblical Food for Growing Before Going, is available at amazon.com and through the publisher at http://www.s-toryteller.com. Come and see by getting and giving copies!
Waiting for the Train 